Die and punch platen



Jan. 25, 1966 NQRSTED 3,230,813

DIE AND PUNCH PLATEN Original Filed Oct. 10. 1960 7 70 .fnvenlor Glenn JZJVrsZed 1 .9 W @MWW JZ'Z orney United States Patent 3,230,813 DIE AND PUNCH PLATEN Glenn A. Norsted, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Wood (Ionversion Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Original application Oct. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 71,354. Divided and this application Apr. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 269,930

3 Claims. (Cl. 83-669) The present invention relates to the production of dies useful as such and as masters to produce similar dies. This application is a division of Serial No. 71,854, filed October 10, 1960.

In the formation of decorative board covering for wall and ceiling of material cable of localized compression to leave permanent fissure-like depressions into the board by use of a punch or die, it is frequently desired to have one or more fixed patterns for a punch or die. For example, in making ceiling tile of mineral fibers, it is a common practice to provide not only minor dents but also major fissure-like cavities into the tile, in imitation of natural travertine. For this purpose, punch plates are used provided with projecting portions for impressing fissures in the surface. Mineral tile has fibers which are largely crushed and to some degree compressed, so that a permanent void, or fissure, is left in the article on removing the die or punch.

For such a practice, the detailed dimensional characteristics of the projections are not so important that exactness is required. A general conformation is satisfactory. This permits use of a coarse rather than a refined procedure in forming the projecting die-functioning portions on a platen or punch platen.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to produce an article which may be used as a die or punch platen or used as a pattern for casting a plurality of reproductions of it, said article being produced from a solid body by mechanically routing away body substance in a manner to leave the desired projections.

The invention may be carried out in one way, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a corner of a punch plate or master having die-projections for forming fissures.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing an incompleted body.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating a suitable routing tool in routing position.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the routing tool.

Any material which is subject to routing action may be employed. Plastic bodies are preferred to metal for ease of cutting. A routing tool is used on a block of material to cut away from its face all that portion of a pattern not to remain as a projecting die portion. The tool is preferably so formed as to impart draft to the die portions, so that in addition to using it as a punch, it may be used as a master pattern for making molds in which to cast metal duplicates.

In carrying out the invention a block of material is used which is easily routed, for example, a plastic such as polymerized methyl methacrylate. A suitable plastic block 10, having originally a volume represented by the extending dotted line 11, has a pattern of fissures laid out on face 12. Numerals 13 and 14 represent two areas of such a pattern of fissure, being fissure-forming die-means in the form of projections.

FIG. 3 shows a routing tool 20 having a ball end 21 terminating in a tapered cutting end of which the side wall is at 2 to the axis of the tool. The tool is shown as having two cutting edges 22 and 23. The taper of the tool creates the draft indicated by the numeral 25 in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ball end 21 of the tool forms the fillets 26 at the base of the projections 13 and 14.

To avoid flat tops for the die-portions when the original block it} has its face planar, and especially to provide irregularity to a fissure to be formed, the portions of face 12. left after routing may be altered so that a die varies in height from its base at the inward area or floor 27 formed in routing out the body 16. Any suitable cutting tool may be used for shortening the die locally, for example, a rotary end mill. Merely to illustrate such action the dies 13 and 14 have recessed areas 13 and 14' shown by stippling in FIG. 1. The angular recessed area 14' can be made by an end mill held angular to face 12.

Preferably, the height of the dies 13 and 14 is greater than the depth of the fissures to be formed, thus permitting insertion of the die in a crushable tile to varying depths. So constructed, the fillets 26 have no function in using the routed body as a punch, but they function along with the draft 25 when using the routed body as a pattern for casting a metal duplicate for use in a production line for fissured tile.

Although the floor 27 is shown as planar, its planar character is not essential, but is merely the result of using routing machinery in which the relative travel of tool and work is entirely at right-angles to the axis of the tool. Furthermore, because the dies are all isolated projections on the finished body, the floor 27 is a continuous area with islands such as dies 13 and 14.

Although a solid plastic body is preferred for ease of routing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such material nor to a body uniformly of a single material. Numerous departures from the described method and product are contemplated as falling within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A die useful for punching fissures into mineral tile and suitable as a pattern for casting multiple reproductions thereof, comprising a plastic body having a planar face, said face being recessed in a manner to form a continuous inward area and at least one isolated portion of the body projecting from said inward area to said planar face, portions of the planar face of said projecting body portion being recessed inwardly from said face, the sides of said projecting body portion flaring inwardly from said face at an angle nearly perpendicular to said face for providing draft in the said uses of the die.

2. A die according to claim 1 in which the said inward area is planar and in which the junction of said inward area and said side walls is in the form of a fillet of the plastic body to facilitate use of the die as a pattern.

3. A die for punching fissures into mineral tile comprising a solid body having a planar face, said face being recessed in a manner to form a continuous inward area and at least one isolated portion of the body projecting from said inward area to said planar face, portions of the planar face of said projecting body portion being recessed inwardly from said face, the sides of said projecting body portion flaring inwardly from said face at an angle nearly perpendicular to said face.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 11,316 3/1893 Redfield 264293 X 3,017,947 1/1962 Eckert 83-686 3,077,658 2/1963 Wharton 264-156 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner. ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Examiner. 

1. A DIE USEFUL FOR PUNCHING FISSURES INTO MINERAL TILE AND SUITABLE AS A PATTERN FOR CASTING MULTIPLE REPRODUCTIONS THEREOF, COMPRISING A PLASTICE BODY HAVING A PLANAR FACE, SAID FACE BEING RECESSED IN A MANNER TO FORM A CONTINUOUS INWARD AREA AND AT LEAST ONE ISOLATED PORTION OF THE BODY PROJECTING FROM SAID INWARD AREA TO SAID PLANAR FACE, PORTIONS OF THE PLANAR FACE OF SAID PROJECTING BODY PORTION BEING RECESSED INWARDLY FROM SAID FACE, THE SIDES OF SAID PROJECTING BODY PORTION FLARING INWARDLY FROM SAID FACE AT AN ANGLE NEARLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FACE FOR PROVIDING DRAFT IN THE SAID USES OF THE DIE. 